| A brief Brock Landers Overview of A James Foley Film (8/10) Nick Chen: "You don't change Chinatown, it changes you." This film relies on its locations, I mean, it has some great actors in it, including the phenomenal Brian Cox, Mark Wahlberg and Chow Yun-Fat, BUT the film is so great because of the realistic chinatown locales, similar to "Serpico" in its metropolitan realism. We have two warring gangs in Chinatown, U.S.A., but nothing matters except what bothers our two heroes who eventually grow found of each other, making it like a buddy-flick. Chow Yun-Fat drives the film with his natural charm, and he has plenty to offer, and Wahlberg on the verge of his star-making role in "Boogie Nights" gives one of his strongest performances, while James Foley turns out another ineteresting if somewhat dialogue-heavy film a ala "At Close Range" and "Glengarry Glen Ross", which is one of his basic strengths... although it's tough to always believe that lowlifes and hoods always talk this expressively. This film is everything that Polanski strived for in "Chinatown" but a whole lot less... Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) and Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg) are pitted against the Fukkienese soldiers from the Tong gang,and the odds ain't great, but remember, this is just a movie... there's ton's o' violence and bullets, and even less disturbing... sex. Lots of good people die and only a few bad ones, which makes me believe that this world really is full of evil people, but I still strive to maintain. However, the deaths in this film usually serve a pupose... sor of... so just sit back, relax, and try not to be so damn fundamentalist. This film is no worse than a Peckinpah film or a Kinski slaughterfest, so please... yeah, please... (Note: yes... I love, absolutely love, all of fat's Hong Kong film's including, "A Better Tomorrow" I-III, "Prison on Fire" I-II, "The Kiler", "Hard Boiled", "Crouching Toger, Hidden Dragon", "Full Contact", "Once A Thief"...etc... [This message has been edited by Brock Landers (edited 10-05-2001).] |